The labels of each jar read:
[Sharingan]
[Senju Hashirama's Cells]
[Byakugan]
Suddenly, Suguru's excitement died down.
'...Given Orochimaru's behavior thus far, I should've been inclined to believe that this is his reward for me, once again.'
Suguru's eyes narrowed.
'However, he still left a detail for me to catch onto.'
The Byakugan was a very difficult Doujutsu to steal. Given the Caged Bird Cursed Seal which destroyed the Byakugan to prevent foreign powers from taking the Byakugan for themselves, Suguru severely doubted the legitimacy of the contents of the jar.
The Sharingan and Hashirama's cells were believable.
But Suguru knew better.
Instead of taking the jars out due to a flash of greed, Suguru closed the chest and placed it back in its scroll. So far, Orochimaru's gifts were sources of knowledge and useful tools for doing his own research.
A manual for human anatomy, characteristics of elemental Kekkei Genkai, Fuinjutsu manuals, Juinjutsu theories, a compilation of regular Jutsus and their corresponding analyses, and even forbidden jutsus like the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
To suddenly be given a pair of Sharingan, Byakugan, and Hashirama's cells was an uncanny jump in quality. Knowing all the traps that Suguru had run into thus far, his doubts were sound.
—And Suguru would be rewarded for his doubts.
When Suguru closed the storage scroll containing the 'gifts,' an array of seals suddenly appeared. Then, the scroll spontaneously combusted.
It went up in flames before Suguru could breathe.
Only a note was left behind.
[So... seeing as you can read this note, you must still be alive. Congratulations on completing my entrance test, my cheeky little student. If you really want a pair of Sharingan and some of Hashirama's cells, then pay your respects to your sensei first.]
Suguru's brow twitched.
This reminded him of the note that he had left for Orochimaru.
"I knew it wouldn't be easy...'
Suguru sighed. However, he wasn't so pressed for a pair of Sharingan. He could easily harvest those in the future.
Furthermore...
There was a place that Suguru wanted to visit.
'It should be happening soon, right?' Suguru activated his Kaisugan.
A certain Third Hokage was out spying again. While he joined in on the peeping, he thought,
'Uchiha Shisui, where are you? How are you doing?'
***
Hiruzen leaned back into his seat as he activated his Telescope Technique. Looking through the crystal ball, he confirmed the growing unrest in the Uchiha clan compound.
Itachi had recently reported to him the thoughts of his clan, leaving him with a great headache.
'Is a civil war really inevitable?'
Sighing, Hiruzen hoped that nothing troublesome would escalate the situation.
***
Had Suguru heard Hiruzen's hopes, he would've laughed.
A few days passed since he avoided another death from Orochimaru's dangerous gifts.
For the first time in a while, Suguru had left the confines of his laboratory. He strolled the streets and took in the sights of the bustling village. He passed by Ichiraku and heard a familiar voice in the stall.
"Thank you for the food!"
Shaking his head, Suguru stopped for a moment to listen before he began moving to a more obscure location.
'I need to locate their general location before sunset.' Suguru moved to different points in the village.
At every point, he activated his Kaisugan when no one could see his eyes. Then, he looked for a certain temple with Buddhist statues. He repeated this process patiently, one point at a time, maximizing his Doujutsu's range.
Just as the sun began to set...
'There you are,'
Suguru found the pair he was looking for. One old, and the other young. Both were wielders of the Sharingan.
***
Suguru expected the confrontation between Shisui and Danzo to proceed similarly to the original. At first, the pair was merely having a conversation. Though Suguru could not hear their words, he could imagine what they were saying.
"Will you use Kotoamatsukami on me too?"
Danzo lunged forward, his hand heading straight for Shisui's eye. The Uchiha was swift, activating a genjutsu in an instant while catching the older shinobi's wrist.
"It's only a simple genjutsu. You'll snap out of it shortly."
Shisui then began to walk away.
However...
Danzo's decisive use of Izanagi was manifested. The poisoned Shisui felt his body freeze and he was left unable to react. Danzo's original existence dissipated as he reappeared right in front of Shisui. Then came the barrage.
A fist to the stomach and the sound of cracking bones echoed out.
A palm to the jaw was described by a dull thud.
A hit on the head came, and saliva spewed out of Shisui's mouth.
—Then an uppercut struck Shisui's chin before Danzo lifted him by his hair.
It was such a brutal combo that Suguru couldn't help but pity Shisui's state. However, he continued to watch. He had long put his hands together to form a seal.
[Bird].
Just when Danzo tossed Shisui upwards to take his eye...
'Vampiric Gaze,'
A pair of eyes appeared before Danzo when he pulled his hand back to strike. This moment of disorientation caught him off guard. Danzo felt his chakra being pulled away, sucked into the ethereal eyes before him.
Izanagi was used again. Danzo dissipated from the lockdown of Suguru's Vampiric Gaze, moving elsewhere to reassess the situation.
Luckily, he still had a moment before his Sharingan went blind. Another moment that allowed him to escape the unknown attacker's bindings.
"What was that?" Danzo's eyes narrowed, "What kind of jutsu could do such a thing?"
A portion of his chakra had disappeared when he escaped. Although it was only a minuscule amount, Danzo was momentarily incapable of breaking free from Suguru's Vampiric Gaze. Had he been incapable of casting Izanagi, he might've been trapped far longer than he preferred.
"Tsk,"
Looking at Shisui who had regained his bearings, Danzo clicked his tongue. He continued his assault while Root shinobi appeared beside him.
—Clang!
Shisui parried a kunai aiming for his heart. He flickered a few meters back, only to discover Danzo waiting for him. Once again, Danzo's hand aimed for his eye.
And once again...
'Vampiric Gaze!'
A pair of ethereal eyes manifested in his face, pulling him into a trance.
"Lord Danzo!" A Root shinobi placed his hand on Danzo's shoulder, disrupting the latter's chakra. A surefire method. Lucky for Danzo and the Root shinobi, it worked like a charm.
'Huh? So my Vampiric Gaze works like a genjutsu in some sense?' Surprised, Suguru duly took note of this fact.
Meanwhile,
"Oho, I see." Danzo straightened up and turned to Shisui. With his Sharingan going blind and his use of Izanagi becoming inactive, the situation had deteriorated.
However, Aburame Yoji's poison was already flowing through Shisui's body. It was only a matter of time before victory would be theirs, and Danzo would have the Kotoamatsukami at his disposal.
"Uchiha Shisui has a helper. Don't let him deter you," Danzo informed his subordinates while suspicions and theories flashed across his mind.
Danzo connected the dots. 'An unknown, long-range jutsu and an entrapping gaze...'
Furthermore, the mysterious Sharingan awakenings and the genius batch...
"It seems like the Uchiha have found a good tool,"
Danzo's words were drowned out by the sound of an approaching fireball. The Root shinobi answered with the Raging Waves Jutsu. The clash of fire and water blanketed the battlefield with white steam, allowing Shisui to escape with a swift Body Flicker.
"After him! Chase him in pairs to avoid falling prey to that unique jutsu!" Danzo commanded. The creases on his face grew deeper in frustration.
Sadly for Danzo, Shisui had already left the battlefield at a speed that was difficult to track.
Meanwhile, Suguru was cackling at the sight of Danzo's dismay. Interfering with the original story was a lot more fun than he thought.
Suddenly, Suguru sensed movement rapidly approaching him.
"Hm?"